Left (Win)
つらからん中こそあらめ萩原やした松蟲の聲をだに問へ
| tsurakaran naka koso arame hagiwara ya shita matsumushi no koe o dani toe |
Cold will Our bond, no doubt, become, but Among the bush clover Eagerly awaiting, the bell-cricket’s Call is all that I would ask… |
A Servant Girl
1077
Right
夜もすがら人まつ蟲の鳴く聲を我身の上によそへてぞ聞く
| yo mo sugara hito matsu mushi no naku koe o wa ga mi no ue ni yosoete zo kiku |
All through the night A cricket pines – The song it sings Upon myself does Seem to dwell – or so it sounds… |
Lord Tsune’ie
1078
The Gentlemen of the Right state: we have no reason to mention any faults in the Left’s poem. The Gentlemen of the Left state: the Right’s poem is pedestrian.
In judgement: both poems refer to ‘bell crickets’, with the Left saying, ‘our bond, no doubt, become’ (naka koso arame), then ‘call is all that I would ask’ (koe o dani toe), and ‘eagerly awaiting, the bell cricket’ (shita matsumushi) – all of these are extremely difficult to grasp, however, the Right’s poem is pointlessly pedestrian. So, the Left wins.